It is generally advantageous in the food service industry, to serve customers at a high turnover rate. However, increased customer traffic causes increased depletion of foods and beverages. This is further complicated for foods and beverages that are served in high volumes, such as through beverage dispensers or buffet food trays. Such high volume food and beverage service requires high volume replenishment, using clean devices and equipment that are preferably durable enough for repeat use.
One approach for providing high volume replenishment of food and beverage receptacles is to refill the receptacles from similarly high volume containers, preferably using rolling trays or other motive devices. For example, it is known to use high quality, durable, large volume containers such as those available from Cambro® to transport and replenish food and beverage stuffs. While such equipment may prove useful for transporting replacement food or beverage stuffs to the dispensers, large volume containers are clumsy, and when full are quite heavy. This problem is further compounded when the transport containers hold liquids that tends to slosh around, and especially when the dispensers to be replenished are not easily accessible (e.g., having shoulder level or higher refill access).
The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, there is still a need for improved devices that facilitate and simplify the safe and clean transfer of beverage and food stuffs from high volume containers into dispensers, particularly where the beverage or food stuffs are liquid, or where the refill access on the receptacle is difficult to reach.